Avatar: Ashes to Ashes
by GJK516
Summary: Water, Earth, Air, Fire. Long ago the world was divided, living in false peace. The Fire Lord saw the world for what it was, a collection of settlements that needed real leadership,his leadership. Only the Avatar master of all elements could stop him but when the Fire Nation feared him most he vanished. A hundred years later, the new avatar was found and threatens the Fire Nation


Water, Earth, Air, Fire. Long ago the world was divided and weak, living in false peace. Fire Lord Sozin saw the world for what it was, a weak collection of settlements that needed real leadership, Fire nation leadership. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop him, but when the Fire Nation feared him the most he vanished. A hundred years later, the new avatar was found and he threatens the peace that the Fire Nation has established. A couple of days ago I befriended Azula, princess of the Fire Nation and together we can save the wold from the Avatar's menace

The weather on Ember Island was extremely warm and ice creams were being sold by the dozen. That's when Ash first saw her. Ash looked like an average Fire Nation citizen but he was much more. He was 15 years old and had quite short black hair with amber eyes that seemed judging and harsh but if you looked carefully enough you could see a hint of humanity. He always seemed serious and always store at people strangely as if he was calculating the threat they would make. Ash himself was with his two closest friends, Chen a short teenager with even shorter, military style black hair and green eyes and Lee a medium sized boy who had brown curly hair with green eyes. Chen was from the Earth Kingdom colonies but moved to Ember Island when he was relatively young as his father wished to be part of the real Fire Nation not just a colony. This was why Chen was looked down on by most people, but not Ash. Ash judges people by the actions rather than their backgrounds, a rare quality amongst Fire Nation citizens. Chen was also an Earthbender, a very talented one but instead of embracing his abilities Chen chose to hide them as he was taunted enough by the other children. Lee however was born on Ember Island and has never left it, living there for his whole life. He was very patriotic and believed that the world would be a better place if it was united under one nation, a view Ash shared. Lee was a relatively weak Firebender, so instead of fighting with the martial art itself, he used his bending to improve the use of other weapons like sword's and axes. Ash himself was a quite tall for his age and quite muscular. He also had two long whip like burns which were scared onto his back from his childhood. Like Lee he had lived on Ember Island his entire life but he did occasionally visit other places, like the Fire Nation capital. The three boys were on their usual spot on the beach, underneath a large cliff taking advantage of the shade it provided but they weren't too far away from everybody else. Chen had created seats for them years ago using his earthbending but no one questioned the seats existence, just never to sit on them, bad things tended to happen to those who did.

"So Ash when's the next tournament?" Lee asked. Lee was a big fan of the so-called Agni Kai tournaments, where firebender fought firebender for riches and other rewards. They were hosted on Ember Island's south side which was the poorer district of the island where Ash and Chen lived but these tournaments were very popular with the rich.

"Tomorrow" Ash said. The only way Ash could find enough money to feed himself was through these tournaments. Ash was the best Firebender on Ember Island possibly in the Fire Nation, second only to the Royal Family. "I'm up against Ozai again. I better not burn him too badly this time or his parents will probably get be banished."

"How?" Chen asked still new to the politics of the Fire Nation

"Everyone knows that Ozai's parents have the ear of the Fire Lord." Lee said, being extremely patronising

"That's the reason he's called Ozai." Ash said. "He's an idiot anyway. He believes that being distantly related to the Royals gives him power. Only idiots or arrogant people believe in the divine right to rule anyway."

"No! The Fire Lord is the rightful ruler of the Fire Nation, only he can-"Suddenly a deathly silence fell over the beach as four people walked across the beach in an arrow formation. At the head of the arrow was a very beautiful girl with a sly smile and harsh golden eyes that seemed to make anyone turn away if they met them. She wore her hair in traditional Fire Nation style, most of it being in a top knot and two strands of hair on either side of her face. For some strange reason Ash couldn't take his eyes of her as she strolled through the beach confidently, intimating anyone who crossed her path. Finally he paid more attention to the other members of the group. On the left of the golden eyed girl was another girl who had big puppy dog eyes and brown hair tied into a braid. On her right was another girl with black hair styled into a fringe. Next to her was the only boy of the group who had black hair in a style similar to Ash's and a burn across one side of his face. When Ash's eyes drifted back to the girl in the middle he realized she was already staring at him, with that smug smile of hers. Ash store back unlike most of the beach and that smile of hers faded away. She then began to walk towards him by herself. Then another teenage boy stood in front of Ash, with a gang of boys with him. Ash hadn't noticed him come other to them because of the girl but Ash instantly recognized the boy.

"You're going down in the tournament!" The boy announced to the whole beach, drawing eyes towards the confrontation

"Really Ozai?" Ash said bemused "I'll be surprised if any of your fire actually touches me." Ozai was a skinny boy with no real strength. He had long black hair that reached to his neck and the beginnings of a pointed beard similar to the Fire lord himself. To Ash, Ozai was a bad impersonation of the real deal

"Don't act all cocky with me Ash I'm the best firebender on this island!" Ozai said full of arrogance. Chen started to laugh. "Shut up Colony boy you're not even a fire bender or even part of the Fire Nation." Ozai's friends began to laugh

"You have five seconds to leave Ozai or you will regret coming here." Ash said casually, easily intimating Ozai

"Or w-w-what?" He said losing his nerve but he then looked at his friends and regained his confidence

"5,4,3,2 and-" Suddenly Ozai launched a fire ball at Ash which he easily dodged. He then went on to grab Ozai's arm and then twist it causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Then Ash grabbed Ozai's head and smashed it on knee resulting in Ozai screaming in pain and blood going everywhere

"You're not fit to have the name Ozai." Lee said mockingly, earning a glare from Ozai. Ozai's friends sprang into action, but Ash grabbed Ozai by the neck and summoned a black flame and put it next to Ozai's head. Ash was unique as his fire was the colour black unlike the usual red or orange. Lee and Chen had many theories why his flames were so different but Ash knew exactly why but he had never told anyone. His flames also stuck to his targets and quickly burned them, the black flame had a reputation for causing immense amounts of pain which made controlling people a lot easier for Ash.

"Stop!" Ozai shouted to his friends and they backed down. Ash threw Ozai to the ground.

"Get out of here." Ash said "Or I'll burn your pretty little face off." Fear filled Ozai's eyes and then he ran off with one hand on his sore head.

"You didn't have to do that." Chen said

"No" Ash said "But I wanted to and besides no one threatens my friends." A slow clapping filled the air as the Golden eyed girl stood where Ozai did. Up close Ash thought she was even more beautiful but he did his best to conceal it.

"Bravo." She said, regaining he sly smile. The girl ignored the other boys existence and focused all of her attention on Ash. "I've never seen such martial prowess, I'm sure you'll be able to beat up my brother other there, but he wouldn't be much of a challenge." The girl's brother clearly heard her comment about him and began to walk over towards her aggressively, however fringe girl held him back and he stopped

"And you are?" Chen asked. The girl store at Chen and it looked as if she calculating the threat he would make to her not unlike what Ash would do when he meets anew person. After a couple of seconds she seemed to be done.

"I'm not talking to you." The girl said sharply, and then she turned back to Ash "And anyway there's more important question like who are you?"

"You don't know who he is?" Lee said supried "This is Ash, the best Firebender on the island, possibly in the whole world."

"Bold claims." She said. "You better tell your friend to watch his tongue or someone might test this theory. Goodbye Ash I'll see you around, I'm sure of it." And then she walked off with that smile of hers leaving Lee and Chen creped out. The way she said "I'm sure of it" sounded almost like a threat. Unlike his friends, Ash just watched her leave without saying a word.

"She's hot." Lee said, Lee considered himself a ladies man and his constant obsession with girls annoyed Ash.

"I don't think she's the kind of girl you'd like to mess with Lee" Ash said.

"Agreed." Chen said, a silence then fell for a couple of seconds allowing the boys to take in what just happened

"So you hear what happened at Chan's party last night?" Lee asked

"What?" Chen said

"Four people completely trashed his house." Lee said "I would of paid to see that!"

"Four people?" Ash said

"Yep." Lee said

"I think we just saw them." Ash said "If these guys can trash a house by themselves with most of the upper class teenager's there then they might be dangerous, since most of Chan's friends are fire benders. Lee, I want you to listen to more of these rumours. Find out as much as you can about these people. The girl's accent was similar to most of the rich kids on the island. Chen ask your father about new arrivals on the island. He seems to know a lot about the nobility."

"What about you Ash." Chen said "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Chan." Ash said "Meet me here in two hours with your findings; the nobility always have a habit of picking on the peasants they are probably no exception."

"Don't youth think your being a bit paranoid Ash?" Lee said "A girl with a posh accent talked to you and walked off. Big deal."

"Better be safe than sorry, Lee." Ash said "So meet me here at dusk."

"See you then." Lee said and Chen walked off with him.

* * *

Azula walked back to her friends

"Well that was interesting." She said

"Why he's just a peasant." Zuko said

"A cute one." Ty Lee said, looking at Azula which caused her to glare at Ty lee that devolved a sudden interest in the floor.

"But anyway it wasn't his appearance that interested me, it was his firebending." Azula said "It was black."

"Like yours is blue?" Ty lee asked.

"I think so." Azula said

"Black fire." Zuko said "Why do you care so much?"

"Oh Zuzu you have no idea." Azula said "How can I expect you to understand advanced firebending when you can't even make lightning."

"Shut up!" Zuko said which caused laughter from everyone except Mai.

"I want to find out about this Ash." Azula said "When we go out tonight I you will all to ask about hi

"Okay." Ty lee said, happy as always

"Fine." Mai said, bored as usual. Zuko said nothing for a couple of seconds until Azula gave him a cold stare

"Fine, whatever." Zuko said

* * *

Now there was the problem of finding Chan, which wouldn't, too difficult for Ash. He knew Ember Island like the back of his hand and where all the main hangouts were. Usually Chan was in the noble housing state on the north side of the island, which was a 10 minute walk away. The noble houses were stunning achievements of architecture, each house have a unique but distinctly Fire Nation design. The main colours were black and red and seemed to have an almost imperial design just like the Fire Nation itself. Ash found it interesting how the state of a nation influenced architecture. These modern designs were very different from the older pre-war homes on the poorer south side of the island. The pre-war homes were less sharp and angular and the colours were less harsh being lighter shades of black and red, in direct contrast to the modern homes. Ash would love to live on one these houses, but he knew he wold never earn enough money to buy one as the Agni Kai prize money wasn't exactly plentiful. Chan was standing outside one of these beautiful houses with Ozai and two other people who were with Ozai earlier. Ozai still had one hand on his head and when he saw Ash he pointed at him.

"Him!" Ozai said, his voice dripping in malice "He attacked me!"

"Really?" Chan said "Well we better teach him respect for his superiors!" The three boys, not including Ozai went into a fire bending stances all in one line. Ash however was not intimated by them and instead of fear filling him a small sly smile appeared on his face and one word came to mind

"_Easy"_

Chan lead the attack launching several fireballs at Ash, who stood his ground and blocked the fire not leaving a scratch on him. Chan's friends unleashed jets of fire at Ash which he dodged easily. Then Ash entered a stance, breathed in and punched the air in the direction of one of Chan's friends. A giant fireball appeared and instead of being red or orange like traditional flames it was a deathly black with a hint of red in the centre. The target attempt to block this black flame but it went through his guard, burning his chest, resulting in tears and screaming

"AGHHHHHH!" He shouted "It burns so much!" At the sight of this Chan's other friend broke his guard and ran as fast as he could with Ozai quickly following, leaving only Chan and terrified by Ash's black flames. Chan was sweating from fear and began to shake. Ash however stood they're casually as Chan's burned friend screamed in agony.

"You now Chan I can do a lot worse than what I did to your friend." Ash said casually.

"What do you want?" Chan said now on his knees "I'll do anything!"

"I want information." Ash said "Who trashed your house last night?"

"A bunch of girls and one guy with a scar in his face." Chan said. Ash was right about that group at the beach.

"What about the main girl? The one with golden eyes." Ash asked

"Her? She's insane!" Chan said "She came out with crazy things like how sharp I looked and ruling the world together. Stay away from her man!"

"Anything else?" Ash asked

"Yeah. When she fire bended, the flame was blue like yours is black." Chan said "You freaks must be made for each other!"

"Blue Flames?" Ash said "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, pretty sure." Chan said

"_Blue flames? Only one person in the Fire Nation as blue flames."_ Ash thought _"No it can't be, why would she be here? I need to check with Lee and Chen see what they have."_

"Well I let you leave with your dignity Chan, unlike your poor friend over there." Ash said and then he walked back to his spot on the beach. In the corner of his eye Ash thought he saw someone hiding near the houses but the person disappeared leaving Ash very suspicious. Ash walked back to his spot on the beach, having a feeling that he was being followed. When he got their it was dusk. Lee and Chen were already there.

"What took you?" Lee asked

"Chan took a bit of "persuading"." Ash said with a smile. The other boys knew exactly what he meant. "So Chen what did you find?"

"The Fire Nation royal family is on the island." Chen said "The Fire Lord is speaking with his generals in private and sent his kids here for the week. But he needed more time so he extended their vacation for another week."

"Lee?" Ash asked

"Ozai has dropped out of the Agni Kai tournament and there's and that girl we saw today has filled in his place." He said

"Gentlemen." Ash said "I think we all know who that girl was."

"How are you going to beat her?" Lee said suddenly worried "Rumour has it she killed the Avatar. Pull out the tournament Ash, I'll lend you some money for the week, you don't need to fight her."

"Lee's right Ash, you can't risk it" Chen said

"I'm going to fight her." Ash said

"Why!?" The boys asked in unison

"Ever since my tenth birthday nobody has come close to challenging me." Ash said "I need a challenge, a way to improve and she could be it and besides she might make my plan work ten times quicker."

"What plan?" Lee said

"You'll see Lee, you'll see." Ash said.

"And there's nothing we can do to change your mind?" Chen asked

"No." Ash said

"So what do you want to do know then?" Lee asked

"I'm going into the main town, there's some stuff I need to do." Ash said "Meet me in the arcade afterwards."

"See you later then." Lee said walking off with Chen. Ash then heard some noise nearby and saw movement. He'd been spied on by someone. Ash quickly ran towards the source of the noise where he found a feminine figure running away. He sprinted towards it as fast as he could, knocking people over on the way to her. She was fast though and agile as well and he knew he couldn't catch her. All Ash needed was a glimpse, as he already has suspicions on the figures identity. Then a thought occurred to Ash. She was about to enter the main town of the island, an area Ash knew like the back of his hand. He then hid away in the backstreets knowing exactly where the girl was. She then stopped running, thinking she had lost him_. _

"_Ignorance."_ Ash thought _"Humanity's downfall_

He then walked casually through the streets blending in with the crowds. She was clearly visible to him now. Ash recognized her as the girl instantly. She was with the girl on the beach. Ash walked faster and faster getting closer to her by the second. The girl had let her guard down and walked slowly making things a lot easier. Ash was now inches away and when he was closes enough he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned quickly, clearly scarred and shocked.

"Hello, I'm Ash. What's your name?" He said

"Ty Lee." She said, still in shock

"That is a very pretty name, Ty Lee." Ash said as nicely as he could. She then started to look less hostile and friendlier now. "You're new here, right?" Ty Lee nodded "So where do you come from?"

"The capital." She said, now smiling

"Is it nice there?" Ash asked

"Yes!" Ty Lee said with enthusiasm "It's really cool and all my friends live there!"

"Like the princess Azula?" Ash asked

"How did you-"

"I know a lot of thing Ty Lee." Ash said "Like she sent you to spy on me. Don't deny it." Ash said. Ty Lee grabbed Ash's arm and twisted it, putting him in a hold. Ash used his other arm to grab one of her legs and flipped it up, flinging her in the air. She then landed with both feet on the ground.

"Very impressive Ty Lee." Ash said keeping his distance now but also his confidence "Why must this resort to violence? I don't want to hurt you and I can tell you don't want to hurt me."

"How?" She said puzzled

"Your eyes." Ash said "You try to feign aggression, but in reality you're just trying to impress me and believe me it's working." This made her relax and then smile and finally blush.

"I just want to speak with your friend, that's all." Ash said "There's restaurant in the main town on the southern side. It's called the flaming dragon. Tell her to meet me there in four hours, I would have already booked a table by then."

"Okay!" She said happily

"It was nice meeting you Ty Lee. Hopefully I'll see more of you soon." Ash said with a smile and holding his hand out for a shake, but she went for a hug which Ash hesitantly accept

"Steady on." Ash said.

"Sorry, I just like hugs!" Ty Lee said happily. She then skipped away into the crowds leaving Ash alone with his thoughts

* * *

"He wants what?" Azula said her voice full of frustration. How dare a peasant invite her to a restaurant like she was equal to him.

"He knows who you are by the way." Ty Lee said doing a handstand. They were in the villa they had spent the past week in and Azula had become somewhat found of it.

"WHAT!" She shouted "How…. He must have spies." Azula began to pace around the room "This Ash is smarter than he looks."

"And braver." Zuko added "You've got to have a lot of courage to ask you to dinner." Mai laugthed along with Ty lee causing Zuko to smile for once

"Shut up brother!" She said "When was the last time you went on a date with someone?"

"It's a date now?" Zuko said "Wow sis you are getting ahead of yourself. Are you going to marry him next?" For the first time Zuko saw Azula blush, a truly historic event but the after glare prevented Zuko commenting on it.

"So are you going to actually go then?" Mai said, bored as usual

"Well of course." Azula said "But I want your three near this restaurant in case he tries something."

"Like what?" Zuko said

"I don't know. Just be there." Azula said

* * *

_Dear Ash_

_Everything is prepared and I am looking forward to your arrival_

_H.S_

"_Good. I Just need the money now…"_ Ash though walking towards the flaming dragon


End file.
